Attachment for pneumatic straw-stackers.



UNiTnn STATES PATENT OFFICE.

JOI'IN F. "LEI/VIS, OF OXFORD, INDIANA.

ATTACHMENT FOR PNEUMATIC STRAW-STACKERS.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent N o. 643,383, dated February 13, 1 900.

Application filed March 13,1899. Serial No. 708,871. (No model.)

To @ZZ whom .it may concern.:

Beitkn own th at-I, JOHN F. LEWIS, a citizen of Vthe United States, residing at Oxford, in the county of Benton and State of Indiana, have invented a new and useful Attachment for Pneumatic Straw-Stackers, of' which the following is a specication.

My invention relates to an attachment for pneumatic straW-stackers; and it has primarily for its object to provide a means by which the straw maybe deposited at anyplace desired on the straw rick or stack.

In the ordinary pneumatic stacker the blast carries the straw for a considerable distance beyond the hood on thestacker-tube andthe straw is spread over a large area of ground in the absence of means which direct the straw upon the rick or stack. I overcome this objection by providing a baffle or arrester which is suspended in advance of the hood on the stacker-tube and is constructed to deflect the straw toward or upon the rick, and at the same time this bafiie permits the blast to pass freely.

The deflector of my invention is suspended for adjustment at any desired angleto the plane of the stacker-tube, and it is also constructed to direct the straw on curved lines upon the rick for the purpose of giving a proper shape to the latter. With the baffle is combined meansfor conveniently adjusting said baflie at different angles to the stackertube when the position of the latter is changed in order that the baflie may always be disposed in proper operative relation to the hood of the stacker-tube. Said means for adjusting the deliector is combined with the devices for adjusting the telescopic partof the stackertube in order that the adjusting appliancez for the deiiector may be operated in unison with the adjustment of said telescopic tube, whereby slack in the cable of said deflector may be taken up automatically.

The invention further consists in the novel construction and arrangement of parts,which Will be hereinafter fully described and claimed.

To enable others to understand the invention, I have illustrated the preferred embodiment thereof in the accompanying drawings, forming a part of this specification, and in Which-- corresponding parts in each of the several iigures of the drawings.

The conveyer-tube of an ordinary pneumatic stacker is represented in a general way :by Fig. 1 of the drawings, and saidtjube is indicatedby the numeral 10 and its hood by "11. These `parts are or may be of any usual construction,` and no novelty therefor is` claimed in this application, because my invention resides inthe employment of a baffle or arrester 12, the detailed construction of which I Will now proceed to describe. baffle or arrester is constructed, essentially,

`of a carrying rod or bar 13 and a series of fingers 141. In the embodiment of the battle represented more clearly by Figs. 2 and 3 the carrying-rod 13 is curved or arched in the direction of its length, and at suitable intervals said rod is provided with transverse openings that receive the upper ends of the lingers 14, said fingers beingprovided with male-threaded ends that receive the nuts for Vclamping the fingers rigidly to the carrying- This tube by means of-bolts 16, which may pass j through the bands and tube or which may be disposed to join the ends of the bands together for the purpose of clamping the bands upon the stacker-tube by frictional contact therewith, thus obviating the necessity for passing the bolts through the stacker-tube. To the pair of supporting-bands 15 are secured the supporting straps or bars 17 18, which are disposed on opposite sides of the stacker-tube, said supportingstraps being IOO fastened to the annular bands by the bolts 19. These supporting-straps are arranged alongside of the stacker-tube and the hood' the ends of the carrying-rod to loosely con-` fine the latter in the supports provided therefor at the free endsof the supporting-straps 1.8, and this carryingrod ofrthe baffle is thus loosely mounted in the supporting-straps, so as to turn or rockthereon, whereby the baffle maybe adjusted to different positions with .oifstanding arm 22.

baffle.

relation to the plane of the stacker-tube.

The means ,for adjusting the baffle consists of a pulley 21, which is fastened firmly to the carrying-rod 13, at arpoint intermediate its length, preferably at the middle thereof, and ina position between two of the fingers 14 I employ a lpulley having a circumferential groove, and said pulley is provided with an An operating-cable 23;

isvcoiled or wrapped oneor more timesaround thelgrooved pulley 21 andis madefast there-l 4with ybylooping said cable von the arm 22. This-cable has its strands extending length` Wise ofthe stacker-tube to a suitablepointat ornearthe inner receiving end of said tuben and said strands ofthe cable are coiled indi-l `vidually on separate take-up drums forming; a part ofthe mechanism for adjusting the Asis common in the art, the stacker-1 .tube is mounted on and carried by a turntable 24,(see Fig. 1,) and this turn-table also* supports the adjusting appliances for the `telescopic hood and the deflector. supporting-frame 25 is fastened securelyto the tu rn-table at the base ofthe stacker-tube, .and in-vthis main frame is journaled an operating-shaft 26, one end of whichis extended beyondthe frame. the operating-shaft is fastened a balance- Wheel 27, which is equipped with ahand-crankE 28, and the shaft is, furthermore, provided with a sprocket-wheel 30, that is engaged by an endless chain 39passing over apinion 40 onan arm 4l, said chain being fastened at 42 to the sliding part of the stacker-tube.

As the means for adjusting the teleSGQPic tubeare familiar to those skilled in the art,

l havel not considered it essentialto illustrate and describe the Vsame in detail.

One of the features of my invention is an adjustable spool-frame 31, whichis mounted loosely on the operatingshaft 26 between the supporting-frame 25 thereof and the hand or balance wheel 27. This spool-frame carries a lever 32, Which is fastened on one side thereofin a position to engage with a toothed seg- A mainy On said extended end of ment 33, which is fastened securely to the mainframe 25,' whereby the spool-frame may be adjusted to different positions on the operating-shaft and made fast by engagement of its lever with the segment.

V3l 35 designate the take-up spools, which are arranged parallel with each other at opposite ends of the frame 31 and on opposite sides of the operating-shaft 26, and these spools are carried by shafts 3G, which are journaled in the adjustable frame. Said spoolshafts are provided with gear pinions 37, which mesh with a driving-gear 38, secured to the operating-shaft 26 in a position to engage with both of the spool-pinions 37 for the supporting-,straps are fastened securely to these annular bands in positions Itoextend beyond theeXtensible hood -llon said tube. The carrying-rod 1 3 is loosely mountedinthe free ends of the supporting-straps, and the cable 23is coiledA on and looped around `the arm of fthe :pulley 2 1, `after which said cable vhasits strands coiledfon the respective pulleys orspeols ator near the pivotal support of the stacker-tube. y

1n the service of the baffle it is suspended directly in front of the hood 1l,and said baf- `lie lies above and below the plane of .exit of the blast and straw from the stacker-tube and its hood. The blast of air which conveys the straw through the stacker-tube is free to escape and pass throughthe fingers of the baflie; but the straw-is caught and detained bythe bafie-barsas the blastexpendsits energy on the straw when itemerges Ifrom the stackertube. The straw which is caught by the bafdeingersvis free to drop or fall from the baffle upon the rickor stack, and the straw isthus `prevented from being carried by the yblast for stacker-tube thecrank is operated to rotate thesha'ft, thus turning the sprocket, which actuates themeans for changing theposition' of the sliding tube on the stacker. The rotation of the shaft also operates t-hegear 38 to turn the spools, andthe strands of the cable 23 are paid out from both drums or spools when the stacker-tube is extended. A. reverse adjustment of the shaft to contract the stacker-tube coils the cables of the spools, and thus the slackin the cable-strands is taken up. To adj ust the deflector, the lever or arm 32 is disengaged from the segment and 4the arm is moved to tilt the frame in one direc IIO' IIS

tion or the other, thus moving the deflector on its pivotal support and changing its position relatively to the stacker-tube.

In plan view the baffle of my invention has its lingers disposed in an arc, owing to the curvature or arched form of the carrying rod or bar 13, and by this construction the straw is deposited upon the stack on curved lines for the purpose of properly shaping the rick or stack.

It will be observed that the position of the bafde with relation to the stacker-tube and its hood may be easily changed by the attendant stationed at the machine, who is able to control the operating-shaft 26.

In the practical service of the pneumatic stacker it becomes necessary to frequently change the angle of the stacker-tube as the straw increases in height, and the bathe of my invention is adjustable with the stacker-tube, and it is also adjustable independently of the stacker-tube for the purpose of making the baffle assume a proper operative `relation to the stacker-tube when its position is changed.

From the foregoing description it will be observed that the attachment of my invention may be easily and firmly applied to the conveyer-tube of ordinary pneumatic stackers, and the entire attachment is simpleand durable in construction and efficient in operation.

Changes may be made in the form and proportion of some of the parts while their essential features are retained and the spirit of the invention is embodied. Hence I do not desire to be limited to the precise form of all the parts as shown, reserving the right to vary therefrom.

vI-Iaving thus described the invention, what I claim isl. In a pneumatic straw-stacker, the combination with the stacker-tube, of xed supporting-straps attached to the tube and eX- tending upwardly and forwardly from the hood thereon, a baffle or arrester consisting of an arched bar and a plurality of spaced fingers pendent from said bar, the bar being journaled at its ends to said straps, a pulley fast with the arched bar, and an operatingcable having suitable connection with the pulley to provide for oscillating the bar to change the inclination of the baffle, substantially as described.

2. In a pneumatic straw-stacker, the combination with the stacker tube, of spaced bands fitted to the tube, fixed supportingstraps attached to the spaced bands and extending beyond the hood of the stacker-tube, a baffie or arrester consisting of a bar journaled in said straps, and a plurality of spaced fingers arranged on the arc of a circle and pendent from the bar, and an adjusting device having an operative connection with the baflie-bar to provide for adjusting the inclination of the latter, substantially as de scribed.

3. In a pneumatic straw-stacker, the combination with the telescopic tube, of a support attached to and extended beyond. the outer end of the slidable member of the tube, an adjustable straw baffle or arrester extended from said support, a tiltable frame, takeup spools mounted in said frame, an operatin g-cable connected with the baflie or deflector and having its strands respectively coiled on the separate take-up spools, and means for simultaneously adjusting the slidable member of the tube and rotating said take-up spools, substantially as described.

4. The combination with a stacker-tube, and a deiiector pi votally supported beyond the delivery end of said tube, of an operatingshaft supported at the base of the stackertube, a frame mounted idly on said shaft and provided with means for holding the same in a fixed position, take-up spools journaled in said frame on opposite sides of the shaft and geared to the latter to be rotated simultaneously thereby, and an operating-cable con-Y nected to the pivoted delector and having its respective strands coiled on the take up spools, substantially as described.

5. The combination with a stackertube provided with a hood, a pivoted deflector, and means for supporting said deflector beyond the delivery end of said hood, of a frame supporting an operatingshaft, a spool-frame mounted idly on the operating-shaft, a locking device between the first-named frame and the spool-frame, take-up spools journaled in the spool-frame on opposite sides ot' theI operating-shaft and geared to the latter to be rotated thereby, and a cable connected to the pivoted deflector and having its strands coiled on the respective take-up spools,substantially as described.

In testimony that I claim the foregoing as my own I have hereto affixed my signature in the presence of two witnesses.

' J OI-IN F. LEWIS.

Witnesses:

Jos. F. SLEEPER, WM. L. COX. 

